Method and system for monitoring rail operations and transport of commodities via rail

ABSTRACT

In a method and system for monitoring rail operations and transport of commodities via rail, a monitoring device including a radio receiver is positioned to monitor a rail line and/or trains of interest. The monitoring device including a radio receiver configured to receive radio signals from trains, tracks, or trackside locations in range of the monitoring device. The monitoring device receives radio signals, which are demodulated into a data stream. That data stream is then decoded to find an identification number, which identifies a particular train carrying a commodity. From an analysis of the radio signals and/or identification of the position of the train, information about the train and/or the commodity it is carrying is derived and then reported to an interested party.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/846,095 filed on Sep. 4, 2015 and claims priority to U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/047,605 filed on Sep. 8, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to monitoring rail operations andtransport of commodities via rail. Such commodities include crude oil,coal, natural gas liquid derivatives or condensates, refined petroleumproducts, ethanol, biofuels, and other energy commodities, as well asagricultural commodities, including corn and soybeans.

Energy commodities comprise a multi-billion dollar economic market.These commodities are bought and sold by many parties, and as with anytraded market, information about the traded commodities is very valuableto market participants. Specifically, information about transportationof these commodities can have significant impacts on the price of thesecommodities. Furthermore, such information generally is not disclosedpublicly, and access to such information is therefore limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and system for monitoring railoperations and transport of commodities via rail.

In modern rail transport, certain communications and control systems areused for train power management, safety, fault detection, signaling,intra-train and train-to-operator communication, transported commoditytracking, train status reporting, and train track operating statusreporting. Devices associated with these communications and controlsystems are installed on the trains, on the tracks, or at tracksidelocations. A number of these devices communicate using theradiofrequency spectrum (or emit signals in the radiofrequencyspectrum).

In accordance with the method and system of the present invention, oneor more monitoring devices are positioned to monitor a rail line ofinterest. An exemplary monitoring device includes a radio receiverconfigured to receive signals from one or more of the communicationssystems associated with a train travelling on the rail line, whichsignals can be received passively or by actively interrogating devicesassociated with the one or more of the communications systems.

The exemplary monitoring device further includes a computer (ormicroprocessor) with a memory component. The radio receiver is operablyconnected to the computer, and radio signals received by the radioreceiver are communicated to the computer, for example, via a microphonejack or similar audio input. Software resident on the computer (andstored in the memory component) then filters and demodulates the signal,outputting a data stream that can then be decoded and analyzed.

The exemplary monitoring device further includes a transceiver fortransmitting data and information from the monitoring device to acentral processing facility for further analysis and reporting ordirectly to market participants and other interested parties.

In one exemplary implementation, a single monitoring device (which canbe characterized as a node) is positioned in range of a rail line ofinterest. For instance, the monitoring device may be positioned in rangeof a loading or unloading terminal for a commodity, such as crude oil orcoal. The radio receiver of the monitoring device is configured toreceive radio signals within at least one certain frequency range.

Once received by the radio receiver of the monitoring device, aparticular radio signal is demodulated. Specifically, software residenton the computer demodulates the radio signal, outputting a data stream.The data stream is decoded to find an identification number, which isunique to a particular transmitting device from which the radio signalis being received. Then, for each data stream collected, there is a setof signal times, each representative of a discrete time that the radiosignal containing the data stream was received and identified by theradio receiver of the monitoring device. Where a data stream can beassociated with a unique transmitting device on a train, the set ofsignal receive times can be associated with the times at which a singletrain was in range of the monitoring device.

In order to associate a group of signal receive times to one particulararrival and departure event of a train at a loading or unloadingterminal that is within range of the monitoring device, the signalreceive times can be filtered to determine the arrival and departuretimes for each unique visit of a particular train at the loading orunloading terminal by defining a delay time between consecutive signalreceive times, with the delay time being sufficiently long to indicatethat the train has left the terminal of interest.

Once a specific data stream is identified as belonging to a unique visitat a terminal, and the arrival and departure times for any given visitof a particular train at the loading or unloading terminal has beendetermined, the time period that any train stayed at the terminal can becalculated.

Based on such data about arrivals and departures, certain informationabout the train and the commodity it carries may be derived. Suchanalysis of the data may be carried out by the computer of themonitoring device, or the data may be transmitted to a centralprocessing facility for such analysis (via the transceiver). Forinstance, if the monitoring device is positioned in range of a loadingor unloading terminal for a commodity, such as crude oil or coal, andthe number of cars carrying the commodity can be determined, eachrecorded visit to the terminal can be associated with a volume ofcommodity loaded or unloaded.

If the loading and/or unloading rates are known for a given terminal,the time that a particular train stayed at the terminal for a givenvisit can be correlated to the volume of the commodity loaded onto orunloaded from the train.

Of course, various other information can be derived from the arrival anddeparture data, including, for example: the rates of arrivals and/ordepartures over certain time periods; average terminal visit times; andthe time of day of arrivals and/or departures.

Regardless of which type of information is sought and derived from thedata, the information is communicated to market participants and otherinterested parties, including, for example, third parties who would notordinarily have ready access to such information about the commodities.It is contemplated and preferred that such communication to interestedparties could be achieved through electronic mail, data file delivery,mobile application delivery, and/or through export of the data to anaccess-controlled Internet web site, which interested parties can accessthrough a common Internet browser program, such as Google Chrome.

Furthermore, normal activity patterns can be identified from the dataand then stored in a database. Thereafter, as subsequent informationabout the train and/or the commodity is derived, deviations from thenormal activity patterns can also be detected, with alerts then beingtransmitted to market participants and other interested parties tonotify them of such deviations from normal activity patterns.

In another exemplary implementation, at least two monitoring devices arepositioned in range of a rail line of interest and are designated as afirst node (N₁) and a second node (N₂) in a rail transport network, andthe monitoring devices thus can monitor rail transport between the twonodes, N₁ and N₂. For example, these monitoring devices may bepositioned in sequence along a rail line that leads to or from a loadingor unloading terminal for a commodity. For another example, thesemonitoring devices may be positioned at a loading terminal and anassociated unloading terminal, where a commodity is loaded at a terminal(at N₁) and is transported and subsequently unloaded at a receivingterminal (at N₂).

Once a radio signal is received by the radio receiver of one of themonitoring devices, it is again demodulated, and the data stream can bedecoded to find an identification number. Now, assuming that the sameidentification number (which again is unique to a particulartransmitting device on a train) is identified at both nodes, N₁ and N₂,there is a set of signal times, each representative of a discrete timethat the radio signal containing the identification number was receivedand identified by the radio receiver of each of the monitoring devices.With this data, the radio signals can then be placed in sequentialorder, with a notation as to which node received the radio signal. Whenthere is a change with respect to the node at which the radio signal isreceived, such a change is representative of a change in positioning ofthe train, and, in this example, is indicative of a trip between twoterminals associated with unloading or loading a commodity. In otherwords, the signal receive times can be filtered to determine the arrivaland departure times for each trip of a particular train from a loadingterminal to an unloading terminal or from an unloading terminal to aloading terminal.

Of course, various other information can be also derived from thearrival and departure data, including, for example: the rates ofarrivals and/or departures over certain time periods; average traveltimes between the two nodes; and the time of day of arrivals and/ordepartures. Again, once certain normal activity patterns are identified,deviations from the normal activity patterns can also be detected, withalerts then being transmitted to market participants and otherinterested parties to notify them of such deviations from normalactivity patterns.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary monitoring device for use inthe method and system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view that illustrates the positioning of a singlemonitoring device in range of a rail line of interest;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of themethod of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view that illustrates the positioning of twomonitoring devices in range of a rail line of interest;

FIG. 5 is another schematic view that illustrates the positioning of twomonitoring devices in range of a rail line of interest;

FIG. 6 is a chart that shows the measured signal-to-noise ratio andthrottle status while a train is at a loading or unloading terminal; and

FIG. 7 is a chart that shows an example of the correlation between oilflow on a pipeline associated with a rail terminal derived frommeasuring electric power consumption at the terminal and then plottingthat data against the arrivals and departure of trains unloading oil atthe terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method and system for monitoring railoperations and transport of commodities via rail.

In modern rail transport, certain communications and control systems areused for train power management, safety, fault detection, signaling,intra-train and train-to-operator communication, transported commoditytracking, train status reporting, and train track operating statusreporting. Devices associated with these communications and controlsystems are installed on the trains, on the tracks, or at tracksidelocations. A number of these devices communicate using theradiofrequency spectrum (or emit signals in the radiofrequencyspectrum). For instance, with respect to the control of power on thetrain, each train may have a distributed power system that optimizes thedistribution of power and braking control over the length of the train.Such a distributed power system includes a radio communication linkbetween the lead locomotive and the trailing locomotives fortransmitting command signals from the lead locomotive to the trailinglocomotives and for transmitting data and information back from thetrailing locomotives to the lead locomotive. The use of such a radiocommunication link is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.4,582,280, which is entitled “Radio Communication System” and isincorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, a distributed powersystem using such a radio communication link is commercially availableand marketed, for example, under the registered trademark Locotrol® byGeneral Electric Transportation of Chicago, Ill. (Locotrol® is aregistered trademark of GE Transportation Systems Global Signaling, LLCof Grain Valley, Mo.) Radio signals in such distributed power systemsare commonly frequency shift key (FSK) modulated, with a typical bitrate of 1200 bps and a carrier frequency of 1500 Hz.

In modern rail transport, to govern the safe operation of the train,systems and protocols are also established for radio communicationsbetween the rear car and the locomotive cab. For instance, such an“end-of-train” protocol is described in Standard S-9152 of the Manual ofStandards and Recommend Practices Section K-II, “Locomotive Electronicsand Train Consist System Architecture,” Association of AmericanRailroads Safety and Operation (August 2012). Radio signals in suchend-of-train communications systems are also commonly frequency shiftkey (FSK) modulated, with a typical bit rate of 1200 bps and a carrierfrequency of 1500 Hz.

In modern rail transport, to aid in the safe passage of the train on itstrack and to alert control systems that trains are passing certainsections of track, Advanced Train Control Systems (ATCS) monitorspecific sections of track and report as to the locations of trains,i.e., whether a particular section of track is occupied. Such ATCS arealso governed by specifications promulgated by the Association ofAmerican Railroads and typically involve radio communications betweentrack monitoring locations and trains passing on the tracks. Otherprotocols include, for example: the Wabtec Advanced Railroad ElectronicsSystem (ARES) protocol; the Union Switch and Signal Genisys protocol;and the Safetran Supervisory Control System (SCS-128) protocol. Suchprotocols govern how information is transmitted and received betweenrailroad wayside communications devices. Furthermore, software that willdemodulate, decode, and display the communications signals is commonlyavailable, including, for example, the “ATCS Monitor” available athttp://www.atcsmon.com/.

In modern rail transport, to aid in the safe transit of a train,Positive Train Control (PTC) systems are used to control the operationof a train, with an on-board speed control unit in the train enforcingspeed limits and/or reacting to track conditions, such as potentialhazards on the track, which are communicated to the on-board speedcontrol unit from radio transponders located along the track. Theseradio transponders communicate using a protocol governed byspecifications promulgated by the Association of American Railroads. Forinstance, one such PTC protocol is described in the Manual of Standardsand Recommend Practices Section K-I, “Railway Electronics SystemsArchitecture and Concepts of Operation (9000 Series),” Association ofAmerican Railroads Safety and Operations (August 2014). One such systememploying this PTC protocol is commercially available and marketed underthe registered trademark, I-ETMS® (or Interoperable Electronic TrainManagement System) by Wabtec Railway Electronics, a subsidiary of WabtecCorporation of Wilmerding, Pa.

In modern rail transport, to aid in inventory tracking, radiofrequencyidentification (RFID) systems are sometimes used to identify and trackrailcars, locomotives, end-of-train devices, and other railwayequipment. Passive RFID tags containing electronically storedinformation are placed on railcars and locomotives. RFID readers thatemit radiofrequency signals are placed near the track. These readersemit a radiofrequency signal that powers any nearby tags. The signal isalso modulated by the tag according to the information stored on thetag, and the modulated information is reflected back to the reader. Whena tag passes by the reader, the reader receives the stored informationand records this event. The reader may also relay the locationalinformation of the tag to a central server or other networked device. Inthe rail industry, this system is known as automatic equipmentidentification (AEI), and this protocol is also governed byspecifications promulgated by the Association of American Railroads. Forinstance, such an AEI protocol is described in Standard S-918 of theManual of Standards and Recommend Practices Section K, “Standard forAutomatic Equipment Identification” Association of American RailroadsSafety and Operations (2014). Another example of such an AEI protocolcan be found in Standard S-9203 of the Manual of Standards and RecommendPractices Section K-III, “Automatic Equipment Identification,”Association of American Railroads Safety and Operations (2014).

These examples illustrate some but not all of the devices relating totrain operation which use the radiofrequency spectrum for communication,and as described above, such devices can be installed on the trains, onthe tracks, or at trackside locations.

In accordance with the method and system of the present invention, oneor more monitoring devices are positioned to monitor a rail line ofinterest. As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary monitoring device 10 includesa radio receiver 12 configured to receive signals from one or more ofthe communications systems associated with a train travelling on therail line, which signals can be received passively or by activelyinterrogating devices associated with the one or more of thecommunications systems. With respect to the distance from the one ormore monitoring devices 10 to the rail line, the only relevantconsideration is that the radio receiver 12 of each monitoring device 10must be close enough to receive radio signals from a train travelling onthe rail line (or from devices installed on the track or trackside). Thepossible proximity of the monitoring device 10 thus depends onparameters such as radio transmission power, the frequency of thetransmission, the line of sight from the radio transmitter to the radioreceiver 12 of the monitoring device 10, atmospheric conditions, and soon. Hence, there is a large range of possible distances that monitoringdevices 10 may be deployed relative to the target rail devices.Furthermore, it is also possible that a monitoring device 10 is not at afixed position, but may be mobile, for example, carried by a drone,satellite, or other vehicle. In any event, one commercially availableradio receiver suitable for use in the present invention is a MobileBearTracker™ BCT15X Scanner manufactured and sold by Uniden AmericanCorporation of Irving, Tex. Such a scanner can receive signals across abroad spectrum of frequencies, including those used in railroadoperations.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the exemplary monitoring device 10 furtherincludes a computer 14 (or microprocessor) with a memory component 16.The radio receiver 12 is operably connected to the computer 14, andradio signals received by the radio receiver 12 are communicated to thecomputer 14, for example, via a microphone jack or similar audio input.Software resident on the computer 14 (and stored in the memory component16) then filters and demodulates the signal, outputting a data streamthat can then be decoded and analyzed, as discussed in further detailbelow.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the exemplary monitoring device 10 furtherincludes a transceiver 18 for transmitting data and information from themonitoring device 10 to a central processing facility 40 for furtheranalysis and reporting or directly to market participants and otherinterested parties. In this regard, the transceiver 18 is simply adevice to send data, whether via radio communications, satellitecommunication, cellular communications, the Internet, or otherwise.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in one exemplary implementation, a singlemonitoring device 10 (which can be characterized as a node) ispositioned in range of a rail line of interest. Again, the onlyconsideration with respect to the distance from the rail line ofinterest is that the monitoring device 10 must be close enough toreceive radio signals from one or more communication systems from atrain travelling on the rail line or from devices installed on the trackor trackside, whether passively or by actively interrogating suchdevices. For instance, the monitoring device 10 may be positioned inrange of a loading or unloading terminal for a commodity, such as crudeoil or coal. The radio receiver 12 of the monitoring device 10 isconfigured to receive radio signals within at least one certainfrequency range. Upon receiving a radio signal of interest, the radiosignal is then demodulated, decoded, and analyzed to identify the trainthat is in range of the monitoring device 10.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in this exemplary implementation, once receivedby the radio receiver 12 of the monitoring device 10, as indicated byinput 100, a particular radio signal is demodulated, as indicated byblock 102. Specifically, as discussed above, software resident on thecomputer 14 demodulates the radio signal, outputting a data stream.

Then, the data stream can be decoded to find an identification number,which is unique to a particular transmitting device from which the radiosignal is being received, as indicated by block 104 of FIG. 3.

Such software for demodulating and decoding radio signals is well-knownto one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, WiNRADiOCommunications of Oakleigh, Australia markets and sells a softwareproduct marketed as the “WiNRADiO Universal FSK Decoder”(http://www.winradio.com/home/fskdecoder.htm) that will both demodulateand decode frequency shift key (FSK) modulated radio signals.

Referring still to FIG. 3, the decoded data stream can be stored in adatabase 108, as indicated by block 106. Such a database can bemaintained locally (i.e., resident on the monitoring device 10 in thememory component 16 of the computer 14) and/or remotely (i.e., stored ata central processing facility 40 after transmission by the transceiver18 of the monitoring device 10).

The position of unique identification number(s) in the data stream isdependent on the format of the data stream and the type of transmittingdevice. For example, the data may be encoded in the format prescribed inthe above-referenced Standard S-9152 of the Manual of Standards andRecommend Practices Section K-11, “Locomotive Electronics and TrainConsist System Architecture,” Association of American Railroads Safetyand Operation (August 2012), where there is a 17-bit data block for the“unit address code.”

Then, for each data stream collected, there is a set of signal times,each representative of a discrete time that the radio signal containingthe data stream was received and identified by the radio receiver 12 ofthe monitoring device 10. Where a data stream can be associated with aunique transmitting device on a train, the set of signal receive timescan be associated with the times at which a single train was in range ofthe monitoring device. These signal receive times are represented by:t ₀ ,t ₁ . . . t _(n) ,t _(n+1)  (1)

For such a set of signal receive times, the difference, Δt_(n), betweeneach individual signal receive time can also be calculated and recorded:Δt _(n) =t _(n+1) −t _(n)  (2)

In order to associate a group of signal receive times to one particulararrival and departure event of a train at a loading or unloadingterminal that is within range of the monitoring device 10, the signalreceive times can be filtered to determine the arrival and departuretimes for each unique visit, k, of a particular train at the loading orunloading terminal by defining a delay time between consecutive signalreceive times, T_(delay,max), where T_(delay,max) represents apredetermined maximum time delay between consecutive signal receivetimes, such that the delay time is sufficiently long to indicate thatthe train has left the terminal of interest. Typical inter-signal delaytimes for given train visits at loading and unloading terminals aredependent on train operations at the terminal and can vary from secondsto hours. A train arrival and departure time for a given visit, k, isthen defined as follows (and as indicated by block 110 of FIG. 3):t _(arrival,k+1) =t _(n+1) |Δt _(n) >T _(delay,max)  (3)t _(departure,k) =t _(n) |Δt _(n) >T _(delay,max)  (4)

Once a specific data stream is identified as belonging to a unique visitat a terminal, and the arrival and departure times for any given visit,k, of a particular train at the loading or unloading terminal has beendetermined, the time period that any train stayed at the terminal,t_(terminal, k), for any given visit, k, can be calculated as follows(and as indicated by block 112 of FIG. 3):t _(terminal,k) =t _(departure,k) −t _(arrival,k)  (5)

As a further refinement, to identify trains of interest as being trainsthat visit a terminal for sufficient periods of time, and isolate themfrom, for example, trains passing or permanently parked in range of themonitoring device 10, minimum and maximum in range times correspondingto defined visit times, T_(terminal, min) and T_(terminal,max), may bechosen, and the data is then filtered as follows (and as indicated byblock 114 of FIG. 3):T _(terminal,min) <t _(terminal,k) <T _(terminal,max)  (6)

In other words, only trains that are in range between the chosen minimumand maximum in range times, T_(terminal, min) and T_(terminal,max), areidentified as trains of interest.

Table A is a representative table of data for a single monitoring device10 positioned in range of a rail line of interest, i.e., the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in Table A, a train is first identifiedas in range of the monitoring device 10 at t₀=00:00:00. In this case,T_(delay,max) is set equal to four hours based on historicalobservations at the terminal of interest. Then, the train remains inrange of the monitoring device 10 and signals are received at 10-secondintervals labeled as t₀, t₁, t₂ and so on, until the last signal isreceived from the train at 1:00:00, one hour later. No further trainsignals are received until seven hours later at 8:00:00. The departuretime for the train visit k=1 is set to 1:00:00 since the maximum delaytime T_(delay,max) of four hours has passed. The arrival time for thetrain visit k=2 is set to 8:00:00. Signals continue to be collectedduring this second visit to the terminal as before.

TABLE A Signal Inter-signal Number receive delay time, Visits atArrival/ of Signals time, t_(n) Δt_(n =) t_(n+1) − t_(n) Terminal,Departures Received, n (hr:mm:ss) (hr:mm:ss) k Times  0 00:00:0000:00:10 1 Arrival Time = 00:00:00  1 00:00:10 00:00:10 1  2 00:00:2000:00:10 1  3 00:00:30 00:00:10 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35900:59:50 00:00:10 1 360 1:00:00  7:00:00 1 Departure Time = 1:00:00 3618:00:00 00:00:10 2 Arrival Time = 8:00:00 362 8:00:10 00:00:10 2 3638:00:20 00:00:10 2 364 8:00:30 00:00:10 2 n

Based on such data about arrivals and departures, certain informationabout the train and the commodity it carries may be derived, asindicated by block 120 of FIG. 3. Such analysis of the data may becarried out by the computer 14 of the monitoring device 10, or the datamay be transmitted to a central processing facility 40 for such analysis(via the transceiver 18 shown in FIG. 1). For instance, if themonitoring device 10 is positioned in range of a loading or unloadingterminal for a commodity, such as crude oil or coal, and the number ofcars carrying the commodity can be determined, each recorded visit tothe terminal can be associated with a volume of commodity loaded orunloaded, V, as follows (with the assumption being that the train iscompletely loaded or unloaded while at the terminal):V=V _(c) ×C _(t)  (7)where C_(t) is the number of train cars and V_(c) is the volume capacityof each car.

If the loading and/or unloading rates are known for a given terminal,the time that a particular train stayed at the terminal for a givenvisit, t_(terminal,k), can be correlated to the volume of the commodityloaded onto or unloaded from the train. For example, for a constantloading or unloading rate, r, for a particular commodity, the volume ofthe commodity loaded or unloaded, V, is calculated as follows:V=r×t _(terminal,k)  (8)

The time a train is at a terminal may also indicate the type of trainloading or unloading a commodity. For example, so-called “manifest”trains are trains where only certain cars carry the commodity to beunloaded, and such manifest trains will typically only stay at aterminal to drop off the specific cars carrying the commodity beingunloaded. Thus, manifest trains will have a shorter visit time thanso-called “unit” trains, where all the cars carry the commodity beingunloaded. The latter train type will stay at the terminal until theentire unloading process is complete, and the unit train will thendepart with empty cars.

Furthermore, trains stopping at certain terminals which load or unloadonly one commodity can be associated with that commodity, and thesetrains can be tracked as being associated with that commodity when theyare detected at other terminals.

Of course, various other information can be derived from the arrival anddeparture data, including, for example: the rates of arrivals and/ordepartures over certain time periods; average terminal visit times; andthe time of day of arrivals and/or departures.

Regardless of which type of information is sought and derived from thedata, the information is communicated to market participants and otherinterested parties, including, for example, third parties who would notordinarily have ready access to such information about the commodities,as indicated by block 122 in FIG. 3. It is contemplated and preferredthat such communication to interested parties could be achieved throughelectronic mail, data file delivery, mobile application delivery, and/orthrough export of the data to an access-controlled Internet web site,which interested parties can access through a common Internet browserprogram, such as Google Chrome. Of course, communication of informationand data to third-party market participants may also be accomplishedthrough a wide variety of other known communications media withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, normal activity patterns can be identified from the data,as indicated by block 130 in FIG. 3, and then stored in a database 134,as indicated by block 132 in FIG. 3. Thereafter, as subsequentinformation about the train and/or the commodity is derived, deviationsfrom the normal activity patterns can also be detected, as indicated bydecision 140 in FIG. 3, with alerts then being transmitted to marketparticipants and other interested parties to notify them of suchdeviations from normal activity patterns, as indicated by block 142 inFIG. 3.

In another exemplary implementation, at least two monitoring devices 10a, 10 b are positioned in range of a rail line of interest and aredesignated as a first node (N₁) and a second node (N₂) in a railtransport network, and the monitoring devices 10 a, 10 b thus canmonitor rail transport between the two nodes, N₁ and N₂. Again, the onlyconsideration with respect to the distance from the rail line ofinterest is that the monitoring devices 10 a, 10 b must each be closeenough to receive radio signals from one or more communication systemsfrom a train travelling on the rail line or from devices installed onthe track or trackside, whether passively or by actively interrogatingsuch devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, these monitoring devices10 a, 10 b may be positioned in sequence along a rail line that leads toor from a loading or unloading terminal for a commodity. For anotherexample, as shown in FIG. 5, these monitoring devices 10 a, 10 b may bepositioned at a loading terminal and an associated unloading terminal,where a commodity is loaded at a terminal (at N₁) and is transported andsubsequently unloaded at a receiving terminal (at N₂). Once a radiosignal is received by the radio receiver 12 of one of the monitoringdevices 10 a, 10 b, it is again demodulated, and the data stream can bedecoded to find an identification number.

Now, assuming that the same identification number (which again is uniqueto a particular transmitting device on a train) is identified at bothnodes, N₁ and N₂, there is a set of signal times, each representative ofa discrete time that the radio signal containing the identificationnumber was received and identified by the radio receiver 12 of each ofthe monitoring devices 10 a, 10 b:t ₀ ,t ₁ . . . t _(n) ,t _(n+)  (9)

With this data, the radio signals can then be placed in sequentialorder, with a notation as to which node received the radio signal. TableB is a representative table of data illustrating this concept, where N₁is a node (monitoring device 10 a) in range of a first terminal. N₂ is anode (monitoring device 10 b) positioned in range of a second terminalwhich receives the commodity that was loaded onto the train at the firstterminal. The second monitoring device 10 b starts to receive radiosignals from the train when it comes into range of the monitoring device10 b located at N₂, following a 3-hour transit from N₁ at 4:00:00. Thetrain then stays at the terminal (N₂) for one hour, leaving at 5:00:00and arriving back at terminal (N₁) at 8:00:00.

TABLE B Node at Signal Inter-signal which Visits Node Node Number ofreceive time, delay time, signal is at Arrival/ Arrival/ Signals t_(n)Δt_(n =) t_(n+1) − t_(n) received, Node Departure Departure Received, n(hr:mm:ss) (hr:mm:ss) N₁ or N₂ N, k_(N) at N₁ at N₂  0 00:00:00 00:00:10N₁ Arrival Time = 00:00:00  1 00:00:10 00:00:10 N₁  2 00:00:20 00:00:10N₁  3 00:00:30 00:00:10 N₁ . . . . . . . . . 360 1:00:00 3:00:00 N₁k_(N1 =) 1 Departure Time = 1:00:00 3 hour transit time from Node 1 toNode 2 361 4:00:00 00:00:10 N₂ k_(N2 =) 1 Arrival Time = 4:00:00 3624:00:10 00:00:10 N₂ 363 4:00:20 00:00:10 N₂ 364 4:00:30 00:00:10 N₂ . .. . . . . . . 721 5:00:00 3:00:00 N₂ k_(N2 =) 1 Departure Time = 5:00:003 hour transit time from Node 2 to Node 1 722 8:00:00 N₁ k_(N1 =) 2Arrival Time = 8:00:00

When there is a change with respect to the node at which the radiosignal is received, such a change is representative of a change inpositioning of the train, and, in this example, is indicative of a tripbetween two terminals associated with unloading or loading a commodity.In other words, the signal receive times can be filtered to determinethe arrival and departure times for each trip, k, of a particular trainfrom a loading terminal to an unloading terminal or from an unloadingterminal to a loading terminal. With this information, transit time fora trip can also be calculated as follows:t _(transit) =t _(arrival,N2) −t _(departure,N1)  (10)

Of course, various other information can be also derived from thearrival and departure data, including, for example: the rates ofarrivals and/or departures over certain time periods; average traveltimes between the two nodes; and the time of day of arrivals and/ordepartures. Again, once certain normal activity patterns are identified,deviations from the normal activity patterns can also be detected, withalerts then being transmitted to market participants and otherinterested parties to notify them of such deviations from normalactivity patterns.

In other exemplary implementations, networks of monitoring devices, witheach monitoring device serving as a node in one or more networks, areestablished to monitor rail lines of interest, which could lead toadditional information, including, for example: operational status andactivity levels relative to other nodes; abnormal commodity movements inthe network(s); and delays or bottlenecks in a network.

As a further refinement, certain nodes on a rail network serve asinterconnections or junctions between different track or rail owners. Insome cases, transmitting devices or locomotives are switched at thesenodes. By monitoring the train activity over time, and noting specifictrain arrivals and departure patterns, these device or locomotiveswitches can be inferred. Hence, a unique commodity or train can betracked from loading or unloading terminals (or nodes) to correspondingunloading or loading terminals (or nodes) even if one or more devicesare used during the trip.

As a further refinement, other data could also be decoded from the datastream from a radio signal to identify other relevant information abouta particular train. For example, whenever cars are added to a train, theair brake line must be recharged. The air brake line (or pipe), whichruns the entire length of the train, must remain pressurized in order tokeep the brakes of each car disengaged. Railroads often disseminatemanuals containing regulations on standard brake pressures, as well asthe minimum and maximum charging times for different lengths of trains.For instance, one such manual is published by Burlington Northern SantaFe (BNSF) Railroad as “Air Brake and Train Handling Rules, No. 5” (Apr.7, 2010). Data about the brake line pressure is often available in thedata stream. Thus, the length of time it takes to charge the brake linefrom 0 psi to the standard psi (typically 90 psi) can be calculated.Using a look-up table or database, that length of time can be correlatedto a train length, and the length of the brake line can be approximated.Furthermore, the length of a typical car is typically known or can bereadily estimated. Therefore, the length of a train (i.e., the number ofcars) can be approximated by dividing the length of the brake linelength by the length of one car.

For further illustration, Table C below includes a table of sample datafor a train (Train ID 59) decoded from radio signals transmitted to twolocomotives (Addresses 5731 and 23415) of that train. Included in thissample data is the status of the throttle (or power)—IDLE, N1, or N2.Based on this data, it can be discerned that, at 13:56:39, the trainbegan moving. In some embodiments, such movement is further verified andconfirmed by photographic imagery of the train.

TABLE C Time Address Train ID Power 13:56:35 5731 59 IDLE 13:56:37 2341559 IDLE 13:56:38 23415 59 IDLE 13:56:38 5731 59 IDLE 13:56:39 23415 59N1 13:56:39 5731 59 N1 13:56:53 23415 59 N1 13:56:53 5731 59 N1 13:56:5423415 59 N2 13:56:54 5731 59 N2 13:57:24 23415 59 N1 13:57:24 5731 59 N113:57:30 23415 59 N1 13:57:30 5731 59 N1 13:57:56 23415 59 N1 13:57:565731 59 N1 13:59:09 23415 59 N2 13:59:09 5731 59 N2 14:03:25 23415 59IDLE 14:03:25 5731 59 IDLE 14:04:05 5731 59 IDLE 14:04:25 5731 59 IDLE

For another example, some trains load a commodity using a batch system,where several cars are loaded at one time. The train will pull batchesof cars through the loading terminal. Data on the throttle position andspeed are often available in the data stream. The number of cars in thetrain can be approximated by counting the number of times it movesthrough the loading terminal. For further illustration, FIG. 6 is achart that shows the measured signal-to-noise ratio and throttle statuswhile a train is at a loading or unloading terminal. As shown, thestatus of the throttle provides an indication of movement of batches ofcars through the loading or unloading terminal. Indeed, the consistenttime period between respective engagements of the throttle is furtherconfirmation that a batch loading or unloading process is underway. And,the signal-to-noise ratio provides even further confirmation of movementof the train. Finally, in FIG. 6, there is also an indication of whenthe train is within range of a camera, so that photographic imagery canbe used to verify the presence of the train.

Furthermore, information regarding the number of cars that can be loadedor unloaded at one time within a terminal can be gathered from publiclyavailable sources, such as company presentations, financial filings, orwebsites. This is stated as the number of loading or unloading pumps inthe terminal. If N₁ represents this number, then the number of timesthat the train stops inside the terminal, which can be found in the datastream and also confirmed via photographic imagery, can be representedby N₂. Therefore, the number of train cars loaded or unloaded on a givenvisit to the terminal is N₁×N₂.

As a further refinement, if two monitoring devices are positioned alongthe same rail line at a predetermined distance from one another,measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio of the radio signals receivedat each monitoring device, along with triangulation techniques, can beused to approximate the direction of travel and speed of a particulartrain as well as the location of a train (or the location of a deviceinstalled on the track or trackside) if it is stationary at a pointalong the track or at a terminal.

In the case where there are two or more different terminals or points ofinterest within the radio range of a monitoring device, multiplemonitoring devices may be arranged in an optimal spatial distribution,and directional radio antennae or spatial arrays of antennae may bedeployed in order to focus the radiodetection on a specific terminal (ornode) and exclude radiofrequency signals from another terminal (or node)in order to pinpoint where specific trains are in a given detectionarea. Satellite and/or other imagery may be taken of the rail line, railfacility, or terminal of interest in order to determine the number oftrains and associated cars that move into and out of a rail region ofinterest and to define the patterns of movement on different rail lines.This data can then serve to design the required locations for monitoringdevices to optimize signal reception and signal targeting methods.

As a further refinement, pricing information about a commodity could beused in combination with data and information derived from monitoringrail operations in accordance with the present invention in order todetermine: (a) how abnormal commodity movements affect and/or predictprice; (b) how price changes affect commodity flows on a network; and(c) commodity flow rates from certain geographic regions.

As a further refinement, data and information derived from monitoringrail operations in accordance with the present invention could be usedin combination with other data sets in order to better approximate thevolume of a commodity loaded onto or unloaded from a train.

For example, commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,842,874 is entitled “Methodand System for Determining an Amount of a Liquid Energy Commodity Storedin a Particular Location.” U.S. Pat. No. 8,842,874, which isincorporated herein by reference, describes and claims a method fordetermining an amount of a liquid energy commodity stored in aparticular location, including, inter alia: (i) storing volume capacityinformation associated with each tank at the particular location in adatabase; (ii) periodically conducting an inspection of each tank at theparticular location from a remote vantage point and without directaccess to each tank, including collecting one or more images of eachtank; (iii) transmitting the collected images of each tank to a centralprocessing facility; (iv) analyzing the collected images of each tank todetermine a liquid level for each tank; and (v) calculating the amountof the liquid energy commodity in each tank based on the determinedliquid level and the volume capacity information retrieved from thedatabase. Tanks associated with the loading or unloading of identifiedtrains could be evaluated in this manner to determine (or confirm) thevolume of the commodity loaded onto or unloaded from the train. Inshort, if a particular train is at a loading or unloading terminal, anychange in volume in the tank while the train is present can be presumedto be equivalent to the volume loaded onto or unloaded from the train.Alternatively, if possible, visual or infrared images of the tanker carson the trains could be collected and analyzed to obtain informationabout the liquid level in each tanker car.

For another example, commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,434 is entitled“Method and System for Collecting and Analyzing Operational Informationfrom a Network of Components Associated with a Liquid Energy Commodity.”U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,434, which is incorporated herein by reference, thusdescribes the monitoring of one or more power lines supplying electricpower to certain pumping stations along a selected pipeline in order todetermine flow through and between pumping stations. By similarlymonitoring pumps associated with a tank at a loading or unloadingterminal, the flow rate of a commodity from the tank to or from aparticular train at the loading or unloading terminal can beapproximated.

For further illustration, FIG. 7 is a chart that shows an example of thecorrelation between oil flow on a pipeline associated with a railterminal derived from measuring electric power consumption at theterminal and then plotting that data against the arrivals and departureof trains unloading oil at the terminal. The oil unloaded by the trainis pumped into local tanks and, from there, to a remote oil storagelocation.

For yet another example, and as briefly mentioned above with referenceto FIG. 6, cameras could be used to collect information about thepresence of a train, e.g., whether and when it is at a loading orunloading terminal. Such cameras could be ground-based, aerial, orsatellite cameras, capturing signals in the visual, infrared, orultraviolet spectra. Furthermore, images from such cameras could beanalyzed with certain optical character recognition (OCR) or other imageprocessing tools in order to extract data from such images, including,for example: rail car identification numbers, marks, and barcodes;ownership markings; Department of Transportation (DOT) markings;hazardous material signage or markings; dimensions; numbers oflocomotives or cars; types of locomotives or cars; positioning oflocomotives or cars; weight capacity; and car loaded or empty status.Such data or combinations of such data may assist in a determination orconfirmation as to what is stored in each car. Once such data isextracted and collected, a database or other central repositorycontaining additional data about the locomotives and the cars could alsobe referenced to access more detailed data about such things as thelocation of the train over time, the operational status of the cars, andthe destination.

Similarly, rather than a camera, other active interrogation systems,including laser scanning systems, LIDAR sensing systems, andradio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, could be used to captureand extract data from and about a particular train. Again, once suchdata is extracted and collected, a database or other central repositorycontaining additional data about the locomotives and the cars could alsobe referenced to access more detailed data about such things as thelocation of the train over time, the operational status of the cars, andthe destination. As another example, data from other sensor systems mayserve to inform when a train is present in the vicinity so that theidentifying radio signals may be more definitively tied to a specificappearance of a train. Such systems may include acoustic, vibration,and/or optical sensors, for example, placed near enough to the railroadtracks to detect the presence of the train travelling on the tracks.Furthermore, these sensors could be used to trigger a camera or otherlocal or remote visualization device to capture an image of the train.Additionally, information derived from the sensor systems could be usedto approximate the numbers of cars on the train or the speed, direction,size, type, and/or other information about the train itself.

As a further refinement, data and information derived from monitoringrail operations in accordance with the present invention could be usedin combination with publically available data sets in order to betterapproximate the volume of a commodity loaded onto or unloaded from atrain. Examples of such publically available data include freight rates,periodic terminal export data, state and regulatory data, and/or similarinformation on commodity transport in a rail network. Even though someof this data may be delayed (and not available in real-time), it canstill be used to calibrate and develop models.

As a further refinement, data and information derived from monitoringrail operations in accordance with the present invention could be usedin combination with shipping vessel data in order to better approximatethe volume of a commodity loaded onto or unloaded from a train. Suchshipping vessel data can be derived from a network of automaticidentification system (AIS) receivers. Examples of such data include theposition, movement, contents, speed, and/or similar information aboutshipping vessels. By monitoring the movement of said shipping vessels toand from a terminal where a train is loading or unloading a commodity ofinterest, information about the volumes or types of commodities beingtransferred could thus be derived.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additionalembodiments and implementations are also possible without departing fromthe teachings of the present invention. This detailed description, andparticularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiments andimplementations disclosed therein, is given primarily for clarity ofunderstanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understoodtherefrom, for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in theart upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for monitoring transport of commoditiesvia rail, comprising the steps of: positioning a monitoring device inrange of a terminal, said monitoring device including a radio receiverconfigured to receive radio signals from trains, tracks, or tracksidelocations at the terminal; using the radio receiver to receive radiosignals; demodulating each received radio signal into a data stream;decoding the data stream to find an identification number, whichidentifies a particular train that is present at the terminal; andestimating a volume of a commodity loaded onto or unloaded from theparticular train at the terminal; and reporting the estimated volume ofthe commodity loaded onto or unloaded from the particular train at theterminal to an interested party.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the step of estimating the volume of the commodity loaded ontoor unloaded from the particular train at the terminal is based on a timeperiod that the particular train was present at the terminal.
 3. Themethod as recited in claim 2, wherein the time period that theparticular train was present at the terminal is determined from ananalysis of the received radio signals to identify an arrival time and adeparture time for the particular train with respect to the terminal. 4.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of estimating thevolume of the commodity loaded onto or unloaded from the particulartrain at the terminal is based on a determined number of train cars inthe particular train.
 5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein adetermination of the number of train cars in the particular train isbased on brake pressure data decoded from the data stream.
 6. The methodas recited in claim 4, wherein a determination of the number of traincars in the particular train is based on throttle status data decodedfrom the data stream.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1, and furthercomprising the steps of: using a camera to capture an image of theparticular train; extracting data about the particular train from theimage; and using the data to identify the commodity that has been loadedonto or unloaded from the particular train.
 8. The method as recited inclaim 1, and further comprising the steps of: using an activeinterrogation system to capture and extract data from and about theparticular train; and using the data to confirm the identification ofthe commodity that has been loaded onto or unloaded from the particulartrain.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising thesteps of: decoding the data stream to find and extract throttle statusdata for the particular train; and using the throttle status data toconfirm movement of the particular train relative to the terminal. 10.The method as recited in claim 1, in which the radio receiver of saidmonitoring device is configured to receive radio signals from adistributed power system for a train.
 11. The method as recited in claim1, in which the radio receiver of said monitoring device is configuredto receive radio signals from an end-of-train protocol forcommunications between a rear car and a locomotive cab of a train. 12.The method as recited in claim 1, in which the radio receiver of saidmonitoring device is configured to receive radio signals from anadvanced train control system for monitoring sections of track andreporting locations of trains.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1, inwhich the radio receiver of said monitoring device is configured toreceive radio signals from a radio frequency identification (RFID)system for a train.
 14. The method as recited in claim 3, in which theradio receiver of said monitoring device is configured to receive radiosignals from a distributed power system for a train.
 15. The method asrecited in claim 3, in which the radio receiver of said monitoringdevice is configured to receive radio signals from an end-of-trainprotocol for communications between a rear car and a locomotive cab of atrain.
 16. The method as recited in claim 3, in which the radio receiverof said monitoring device is configured to receive radio signals from anadvanced train control system for monitoring sections of track andreporting locations of trains.
 17. The method as recited in claim 3, inwhich the radio receiver of said monitoring device is configured toreceive radio signals from a radio frequency identification (RFID)system for a train.